3 valuable SEO insights from Friends of Search 2024

With her years of experience as a technical and image SEO expert, Roxana Stingu shared some best practices in image SEO. She confirmed that pages with images are not only more appealing to visitors but also rank better in search engines. This is why you should always provide the full context of every image in your page.   

Don’t rank in the first position but in the third 

When scrolling through search results in a search engine, we scan the results from top to bottom. However, with image search results, it's different. Just like reading a book, we look at Google Images search results from left to right. As a result, we don't settle for the first result we see. In fact, the image appearing in the third position performs better than the one in the first position. 

AI & images  

It is now possible to have AI-generated images ranked in search engines. However, be aware that search engines always look for images that best match the visitor's search query. Moreover, the use of AI images is not without risks. Roxana Stingu shared an example of a law firm that presented its entire team on their website. Eventually, it turned out that there was no actual law firm and that all the images of the employees were generated by AI. This raises the question of whether search engines may find it more difficult to verify the credibility of websites. 

Content strategist Purna Virji told us that FOMU, or the fear of messing up, for inclusion is a real vibe among digital marketers. We all know that we strive for a more inclusive society but sometimes forget to extend that inclusivity to our campaigns or content. She gave 4 important tips. 

Focus on the accessibility of your content 

Think about the language your target audience speaks. And don't forget that some people only speak sign language. Also, choose fonts and colour contrasts that are readable for everyone when creating content. 

Watch your language  

Words are a powerful weapon, which is why it's important to use them consciously.  

• Avoid words that undermine the position of people with disabilities.  

• Ensure that your message is always concise and easy to understand for everyone.  

• Always use the language that your target audience uses and be aware that language is constantly evolving. 

Use inclusive images and visuals

Think carefully about who to include in your campaign images so that your entire target audience can identify with them. Try to avoid tokenism. Also, consider that people receive information in different ways. Some prefer listening to a podcast, while others prefer watching TikTok videos. Make sure your content is available in multiple formats. 

Don’t play dumb

Those who do nothing can't do anything wrong. If you notice that you messed up because your communication was not inclusive, do something about it. Take action with the 3 A's and ensure that you tell an authentic story.  

• Acknowledge: Admit that you made a mistake.  

• Apologise: Apologise for your mistake.  

• Act: Behave accordingly. 

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